Hard Headed Woman
by Nyx.anime
Summary: Hisagi Shuuhei, Abarai Renji and Kira Izuru is investigating a massive spiritual pressure that has been spotted in Karakura Town. As they start their mission, Hisagi meets a woman. As the investigation leads to new findings, Hisagi finds himself doubting her motives. Could it actually be her? Or is it just Hisagi feeling the pressure building up as time runs out?
1. Chapter 1

Hard-headed woman

Chapter 1

The wind screamed in her ears as she raced through the woods. Who are those guys? Why are they so persistent? Can't they take a hint? She leaned against a tree for a moment to catch her breath. _Why do I always attract the freaks?_ She heard the footsteps approaching once more. _I'm done running, now I fight. _With that she picked up her katana and waited…

_Earlier that week._

Hisagi walked hurriedly along the road towards his friends waiting at the bus stop. Kira and Renji waved when they spotted him. They've all changed into their gingai's and have arranged to meet up here. Hisagi sighed when he thought of all the work they have to do this week. Captain Ukitake had given them orders to find a certain Death Scythe master and kill him. He's last been spotted in Karakura Town when a massive spiritual pressure appeared the same time as a hollow. When they got there however, the hollow was gone and a shinigami from squad 10 was lying unconscious on the ground. They later found out that the massive spiritual pressure came from a shinigami with a very powerful katana, they couldn't locate his exact position other than that he was in Karakura Town. And now they're here- three vice-captains on earth searching for the mystery man. So far, they haven't been successful.

"Any leads?" Kira sighed and shook his head, "Nothing." Renji leaned against the lamp post and scratched his head. "Man, this guy is really difficult to find." Hisagi shrugged dejectedly, they had to hurry up before this guy causes more trouble. "How about we relax for a while? We'll have to find a place to stay the night. Any ideas?" Kira furrowed his brows in concentration. "We can try the hotel nearby? How much money do we have?" Kira turned to Renji, who was in charge of keeping the money. His face whitened as he said: "Uhm… about 7 yen?" Hisagi's mouth dropped open "What? Captain Ukitake gave us 80 yen! What did you do with all our money?" Renji crossed his arms over his chest "Well, while I was searching for our mystery man I found this really big game room. The humans call it an arcade, anyway I showed them just how skilled I am! I won every game!" He laughed victoriously. Kira's hands flew to his head in despair. "How could you spend 73 yen on games?" Renji looked at Kira accusingly "It's your own fault for giving me the money! I told you not to trust me with it."

Hisagi was just about to step in between the two when something hit him from behind, causing him to fall over. For a moment he was completely oblivious to his surroundings, but then he realized that he was lying on top of something soft. When he opened his eyes he looked straight into a pair of angry blue eyes. "Would you please get off of me?" The owner of the eyes said through gritted teeth. Hisagi blinked in surprise but obeyed her instructions. As he stood straight he offered her a hand but she merely slapped it away and scrambled to her feet. Her black hair was messy from the fall and her black jeans smudged. She dusted off her blue T-shirt hurriedly and was just about to run when she stopped. Her eyes grew wide as she stared into the street. Hisagi turned to see two cops talking to a couple outside the drug shop. What Hisagi did next was completely out of instinct- he grabbed the girl by the arm and dragged her closer to the group. He then gave her his jacket and threw it over her shoulders- tucking in her hair at the back before grabbing a hat at the nearby stall and handing it to her. "Put it on." Stunned, she accepted the hat and did as she was told.

The police must have gathered some information from the couple because, just as the girl put on the hat, they ran down the street- shouting orders. Hisagi let out a sigh in relief and turned towards the trouble-maker. She met his eyes with pride "What?" Hisagi was stunned. Here he was, trying to help her, and she couldn't even manage a simple 'thank you'. "N…nothing, I guess." She raised her brows sarcastically. "Well, in that case, can you please let go of my arm?" Hisagi looked down and saw that he was indeed still clinging to her arm. He let it go and stared at her in confusion. "Can't you manage a 'thank you' at least?" She looked at him blankly. "For what?" Hisagi looked at her- once again dumbfounded. "I just saved your life! The least you can do is show your gratitude! I could just have left you." It was silent for a moment, she merely stared at him in genuine surprise before she burst out laughing. "You're not from here, are you?" she managed through her laughter.

Hisagi looked at her in amazement- he would never have guessed she could laugh. When she calmed down she held out her hand, "I'm Axel-rose Anderson by the way." He frowned but shook the hand extended to him "Hisagi Shuuhei. This is Abarai Renji and Kira Izuru." He pointed to the two shinigami still quarreling over Renji's lack in financial skills. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "They probably won't notice you unless you point a sword at them. They're oblivious to everything once they start fighting." She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What are they fighting about?" Hisagi quickly filled her in on Renji's gaming spree and that they're practically living on the street because of it. Another laughing fit followed and soon even Hisagi couldn't help but chuckle. "You've got a wild one over there." She smiled sarcastically. "Since I owe you, I suppose I could give you guys a place to stay. It's nothing fancy, but it's a lot more than you guys have at the moment." Hisagi blinked in surprise. "I… I couldn't accept that… you really don't have to-"

"Where's all that bravado from a moment ago? You said I owed you, so I'll pay you back. If you keep on resisting you'll end up on a bench in the park." Hisagi couldn't find words to describe this situation. Here he was- a proud lieutenant of the 9th Squad- being bullied by a woman. "Uhm… yeah, I guess you're right." Her face seeped into a victorious smile. "Good, then it's settled. Follow me."

Hisagi might have imagined it, but he swore he saw her laughing at him when she turned to go.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Well if it isn't our little troublemaker. What did you get into this time Axel?" They just reached the flat when these guys showed up. It was obvious that they came here often, since Axel simply replied in her usual monotone. "Nothing you need to be concerned about, Tyro." The guy who seemed to be their leader stepped forward threateningly. "Hey! I asked you what's going on. It's not every day you show up with three strange men and then willingly let them inside your house. Did you make debt again?" Axel unlocked the door and made way for Hisagi and the other 2 shinigami to enter. "Make yourselves comfortable, I'll bring out some blankets in a minute. Could you put these on the counter?" She handed the bags of groceries to Kira and took off her jacket. "Get the kettle boiling, while you're over there? I'm dying for a cup of coffee. Is coffee fine or do you prefer-"Her words were cut short when Tyro grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hey! I was talking to you! You think you're too good for us now that you're working at that lame restaurant? Well, don't get your hopes up Axel, you can get the girl out of the street but you can't get the street out of the girl."

Axel, whom have remained silent throughout his outburst, jerked her arm away and said through gritted teeth "My personal life has nothing to do with you. You would do well to keep your nose out of matters that doesn't concern you." Tyro's face reddened in anger. "You were a leader I could look up to! We followed your every order and did everything you wanted us to do. But now that you've gotten a job, you simply tell us that it's over. You can't just-"His words were cut off by Axel throwing her fist into his face. He staggered backwards and leaned against the railing, his hands covering his nose. "Don't get so emotional Tyro. I told you that I wasn't suited to be a leader and that I didn't see myself as part of your gang in the first place. I hung out with you guys because I enjoyed your company, I told you that there wasn't any strings attached. Please stop coming to my apartment, you freak the neighbors out"

She turned to step inside the apartment but a blonde boy, probably around the age of 15, charged at her from behind. Axel, having heard the sudden movement, spun round and kicked the boy on his jaw in one swift movement. As he glided across the hall she faced the rest of the gang. "You would do well to know your place on the food chain. If you challenge predators too much, you might get eaten." With that she walked inside the room and slammed the door shut.

Sighing she kicked off her shoes and walked towards the kitchen. "Is the kettle done boiling? I've worked up quite a thirst." When no one made a reply, she turned to look at her visitors. She was met with three awe-struck faces. "What?" Renji, having snapped out of the trance first, said "What the hell was that all about? Does this happen often?" Axel just shrugged and scratched her head "I guess you can say that." Kira furrowed his brows worriedly "So, we'll be seeing things like this regularly?" She smiled and winked at him "I try not to bring work home with me."

Hisagi just sighed and sat down. "I'm starting to wonder if a bench in the park wouldn't have been less of a risk." Axel turned and said mockingly "Well, you're welcome to go. But let me just warn you that people like that are all over the city. So you basically have a choice between me, who actually has the ability to keep them away, or the open world where you have little chance of surviving."

Hisagi decided to keep the fact that they'll probably be able to defend themselves just fine to himself. She did help them after all, and either way you look at it she let them stay even though she didn't know them. He shrugged and said "I guess so, but if I knew that you were so involved with trouble I would've reconsidered your offer." She raised an eyebrow "You met me while I was running away from cops, didn't you find that reason enough?" Hisagi just turned his head away, not knowing how to respond. Axel, noticing his discomfort, smiled deviously "Or was there another reason why you wanted to stay with me?" Hisagi's head jerked up in shock "What? No! Of course not! I didn't really have say in the matter, you basically forced me" She threw her head back as she laughed "Liar. Anyway, how about some coffee?" Kira frowned "What's coffee?" It was now Axel's turn to be surprised. She looked at him, horrified "How can you not know what coffee is? Haven't you ever had any offered to you to drink?" Kira shook his head and said "We mostly drink tea." Axel's distaste for the drink was clearly shown on her face "What are you, British? Coffee is for men. You should really get off that junk and drink something worth your time." Hisagi raised his eyebrows and stated "I was told that coffee makes your breath smell, that's why I prefer tea." Axel eyed him curiously "Are you implying that I stink?"

Hisagi shrugged and leaned back against the wall "I merely pointed out a fact. I didn't refer to anyone, but hey, if the shoe fits feel free to wear it." He glared at her from where he sat "Where can we get something to eat?" Axel, slightly amused and not at all offended much to Hisagi's disappointment, pointed to the kitchen "Probably the fridge, or don't you use things like that where you come from?" Hisagi mumbled annoyed "We're from another town, not another planet." Axel pretended to feel disappointed "Aah… so I don't get to give you the course on how to use a fridge? Damn, and I was so looking forward to it." Hisagi just remained silent and looked away. His reaction caused her to laugh "Don't be so stiff! I'm only teasing you. I'll make you guys some tea, we wouldn't want your breath's to stink." With that she winked at Hisagi and walked towards the kitchen.

"Renji, why are you so quiet? I haven't heard anything from you for a while now." Axel asked as she prepared the tea. When no response came she turned around and asked again "Renji?"

"He's over here." Kira called from the sitting room. Both Axel and Hisagi got up and followed Kira's voice to the sitting room. When they got there they saw an exhausted red-head fast asleep on the floor. "He must've left while you were jabbering on about nonsense." Hisagi said as he yawned.

Axel gave Hisagi one dangerous look before returning to the kitchen. "You shouldn't unnerve her like that Hisagi. We're her guests, she's letting us stay here without asking for anything." Hisagi just sighed and scratched his head "She's just so infuriating. I can't help it, she brings out the bad side in me." Before Kira could respond Axel came in with two cups of tea. She smiled at Kira as she handed him his tea "I hope it's all right, I don't drink tea that much." Kira nodded as he took the cup "I'm sure it will be fine, thank you." She then turned to Hisagi, all friendliness gone from her face, and gave him his cup. When he looked down he saw that it was empty. Surprised, he stared at her. She shrugged and said "Make your own damn tea."

With that she turned and walked out, returning moments later with blankets and cushions. Shoving them into his arms she pats him on the cheek and smiles sweetly at him "Sweet dreams, Scar. I wouldn't want you to get cold." And then she was gone again. Hisagi turned to Kira, utterly confused. Kira threw his hands up and said "Don't look at me, I didn't do anything." Hisagi sighed and threw down the blankets. "This is going to be a long week."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hisagi's feet flew across the earth as he ran down the street. That was definitely it, it must've been. That spirit pressure was insane, it could only have been Mystery Man- Renji got fed up with them referring to the man as "The powerful shinigami" and decided that 'Mystery Man' was much shorter and easier to remember, as well as catchy. Kira said that it didn't matter to him what they called him as long as they find him, not that he'll have a problem if their stay is prolonged. Axel have been tending to him and Renji with the upmost care and consideration, while he could have been invisible as far as she's concerned.

Hisagi clicked his tongue in annoyance, he has to stay focused and find this guy as soon as possible, since he won't be able to survive under that she-devil's roof for much longer. Hisagi took a right turn and ran towards the flaring presence. Being in his gingai there was the issue of running into the constant traffic of pedestrians. Showing people out of the way and apologizing as he did so, he reached the final turn before running full-speed into an unknown force.

Groaning as he gets up he scans the area for the object responsible for the collision, his eyes finally settling on a confused red-head. "Hisagi-san! What are you doing here?" Hisagi raised an eyebrow and rubbed the back of his head. "Interfering with whatever you've been doing, it would seem." Renji shook his head and started to stand up, "I felt a strange presence coming from this area, but I must have lost direction since I only found you." Hisagi sighed and got up "I came here for the same thing. It seems to have disappeared just now." Renji tilted his head thoughtfully, "Yeah, you're right. Damn, and I was so close." Hisagi turned and started to walk into the direction Renji came from, "Let's search for him in this area, two heads are better than one."

"Well, I'm not so sure about that anymore." Renji said as he rubbed his head where it made contact with Hisagi.

After 3 hours of pointless searching, they decide to meet up with Kira whom have searched the east side of the town. They make their way to the park and once they've reached it, Renji throws himself onto the nearest bench- sighing dramatically. "I'm dying!" Hisagi rolled his eyes at the statement "Man, you've gotten weak if you can't even handle a little physical exercise."

"Of hunger. I was going to say hunger." Hisagi yawned and turned his back to him, waving away his comment "Sure you did."

"Hisagi-san, Renji, you're early." Kira said as he walked towards them. "Early? Did you expect us to arrive at noon?" Renji's eyes widened as he spoke. "I thought you might've found a lead at least." Hisagi turned so that he was facing him "We thought we did, but in the end we only found each other." Renji's brows furrowed in disgust "Don't make it sound so romantic. We ran into each other and nearly got the sense knocked out of me." Hisagi quirked his eyebrow sarcastically "Not that he had any sense to begin with." Renji jumped up and stood mere inches away from Hisagi "What did you say?" Hisagi crossed his arms in front of his chest "What? Are you deaf as well as dumb?"

Kira, sensing a fight between the two, lifted the tension by saying "I think we've done enough for today, how about we go back to the apartment and rest?" Renji stepped away from Hisagi and stretched himself out to his full height. "Yeah, I could use a cup of coffee. Axel makes it pretty nice." Hisagi groaned as he heard her name, the quarrel between him and Renji completely forgotten. "How can you drink that stuff? It's disgusting." Kira looked at him knowingly "That's probably because you have to make the coffee yourself." Hisagi shot Kira a threatening look- warning him not to dwell on the matter.

"Fine, let's go back. I could use some rest as well." With that he turned and walked into the direction of the apartment.

"Who's that?" Renji asked when they reached Axel's floor. There was a girl standing in front of the door talking to Axel. She had short black hair and a petite build. She chatted excitedly to Axel, whom seemed to enjoy her company as well. "Only one way to find out." Hisagi mumbles before moving closer to them. Axel looked up when she heard them approaching. "O, good! They're here. Hey guys, there's someone I want to introduce you to." She then turned to the girl and said "These are the men I was talking about earlier. Anne, this is Kira, Renji and Hisagi. They're staying here until they finish some business in town."

Anne smiled warmly at them, her green eyes glittering, and bowed as they were introduced. "I'm Anne, pleased to meet you." Axel gestured for them to step inside the apartment. Once they've all been settled on the floor, she explained: "Anne and I host a street-dancing show every afternoon. It's our main income, apart from working at the take-away restaurant a few blocks down." Hisagi frowned in confusion "Dancing? Like you do at balls?" Axel rolled her eyes in annoyance "What do you take us for? The re-living of the 1800's? We breakdance, Scar."

Hisagi's eye twitched at the mention of his new nickname "Could you please stop calling me that?"

"Why, does it bother you?"

"Yes."

"Then no." Anne giggled at, what Hisagi would describe as, their pointless argument about Axel always doing what she wants- especially when it annoys Hisagi. "Are they always like this?" Anne asked to Renji and Kira "This is still mild conversation between them. You should see what happens when they really let loose." Renji said, showing a pained expression to accentuate his point. Anne laughed at Renji's comical look and then said to Axel "You never change do you?" Axel crossed her arms in front of her chest "Why should I? It's not me that has a problem with who I am."

Hisagi snorted and mumbled to himself "Yeah, but the greater population does." Axel looked at him warningly and said "Anyway, we preform breakdancing for passing pedestrians. The authority isn't happy with that however and that's why I was chased that other day. They don't feel comfortable with us making money off their streets." Anne rolled her eyes, "Meanwhile we barely scrape by." Hisagi furrowed his brows "It's that bad?" Axel looked at him, "Hisagi, haven't you noticed the simplicity of the houses here? We live in place we would call, the down-town. Everyone here works at least two jobs, just to get food on the table."

That's when Hisagi really saw her apartment, it was dark most of the times they got back so he never really paid attention. It consisted out of two rooms: The sitting room had two worn-out sofas with a small coffee table in the middle- this was their present sleeping chambers. There was a lamp in the farthest corner near the kitchen, which was separated from the sitting-room by a wall. Her bedroom, which was in the next room was equipped with only the necessities: A bed, closet and a small dressing table. The only bathroom was connected to her bedroom so they had to take turns showering at night.

"I didn't even notice." Hisagi said thoughtfully. Axel sighed and leaned back against the sofa. "We have another show on this afternoon, but we have to keep it secret. If the police find us again we can kiss our show goodbye." Renji looked at Axel curiously "But if you keep on having in in the same place, won't they notice?"

"We change locations regularly." Anne said, playing with her hair thoughtfully, "We send out signs to our fans to let them know where we are. Like handing out flyers or asking friends of ours to spread the word."

Kira asked excitedly "Can we come to see your show today?" Hisagi nearly chocked on air. What was he thinking? They had to search for the shinigami, the week's almost up. Axel smiled brightly at him "Sure! That would be great! We'll meet you at the restaurant on 7th avenue at 3 pm. don't be late!" Axel got up and made her way towards the door, Anne following her shortly. "Well, lunch break's over. Time to get back to work. There's some food in the fridge, feel free to help yourselves. Later!" Anne turned and bowed with a quick 'goodbye' before closing the door behind her.

Hisagi then turned to Kira, "What are you thinking? We have a shinigami to catch, we don't have time to watch shows!" Renji stretched out his legs and leaned back against the wall "I don't think it's such a bad idea, we could use a break." Kira shook his head and adjusted his body so that he was facing them both, "That's not why I wanted to go." Renji stared at him, "It wasn't? Then why would you… wait a minute! Don't tell me you have a crush on that friend of Axel's?" Kira blushed beet red and waved his arms frantically, "No! No, that's not it! It's her aura." Hisagi frowned, "Her aura?" Kira nodded, "Didn't you feel that strange spirit pressure just now? It came from her, no doubt."

Renji sat up straight, scratching his chin "Now that you mention it, it did seem familiar." Hisagi bit his thumb thoughtfully, then his eyes widened and he jumped up. Renji and Kira stared at him in surprise "What is it?" Kira asked worriedly. Hisagi gulped before he answered: "It's the same spirit pressure from this morning."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy lately. I've tried working on the romantic bond between Axel and Hisagi in this chapter. Please read and review. Requests are welcome. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

The silence was broken by a phone's ringing. Kira searched through his clothes until he found the mobile. "Hello? This is Kira Izuru."

A friendly voice replied "Kira? This is Captain Ukitake. How are things going with the search?"

Kira's face was filled with panic "o! Captain Ukitake! Uh… things are going just fine. We may have a lead on the shinigami."

"Good, I'm glad I reached you, there has been a problem with the mobiles. Anyway, we've found some new information regarding the shinigami. Her senkai is blending with her blade, she herself becomes the weapon. We have a theory that she might be manipulating some sort of sound wave. It allows her to move at an extremely high speed in which the blade becomes invisible."

Kira's eyebrows furrowed, "Sorry sir, but did you say 'she'?"

Hisagi got up and moved closer to Kira so that he could listen in on their conversation. Renji copied his actions.

"Yes, the person you're looking for is a former member of Squad 11. She's known as the Soul Shredder."

Hisagi knotted his eyebrows together, mouthing the words again.

Kira asked: "Soul Shredder? Do you have her real name by any chance?"

Hisagi heard the captain sigh "Sadly no, all information about her have been erased."

Kira scratched his head and sighed as well "Captain, if I may ask. Why do you want to find her so badly?"

There was a short silence on the other end before Captain Ukitake finally spoke: "She disappeared about 76 years ago when she was sentenced to imprisonment- she broke certain laws of Soul Society. Rumor has it that she was snuck out by another shinigami, but there are doubts concerning that. She was left alone for these years mostly because we couldn't find her, but after the spirit pressure was recognized a few days ago, we couldn't let such a dangerous person slip away again."

Renji motioned that he was going to the kitchen, but neither Hisagi nor Kira really paid attention to that. They listened to Captain Ukitake's every word, soaking up all the information they could gather. When he finally greeted them and Kira hung up, a silence filled the room. All that was heard, was the loud crunching that came from Renji.

Kira spoke first "So it really must be her."

Renji shrugged "I guess so."

Another silence followed, this one longer than the previous.

"So now what do we do?" Kira looked to Hisagi

Hisagi shrugged "We do what we came here to do- arrest her and go back to soul society."

Renji gave him a worried look "She's Axel's friend."

Hisagi looked at him curiously "What about it?"

"We can't just arrest her and disappear. What about Axel? She'll notice her absence."

Hisagi got up and walked towards the door "We'll simply have to alter her memory so that she won't remember her." He turned and opened the door. Before stepping out he murmured "Or us."

The streets were quiet, apart from a few pedestrians there wasn't any traffic in contrast to earlier that morning, and they reached the restaurant with time to spare. They waited for the girls' shift to end, neither one of them speaking since their mind was filled with the day's happenings. Finally they saw Axel's raven head popping around the door and looking up the street.

When her eyes settled on them she smiled "Ah! Good you're here! We'll be out in a minute." She went back in, re-appearing with Anne at her side.

"C'mon, we've got to get moving. There's still a few things that we've got to tend to."

Hisagi groaned grumpily and murmured under his breath "Like your outfits."

Axel turned round and eyed him suspiciously "What was that?"

Hisagi looked up and answered in an innocent tone "Nothing, I was just complimenting your appearance." Axel frowned at this and walked up the street, looking very confused.

Hisagi chuckled softly, he finally got under _her _skin for once. Feeling much better about himself, he walked a steady pace behind her. They were currently walking in the street he searched earlier that morning. He was about to turn and tell this to Kira, when a sharp pain shot through his ribs.

Groaning, he stumbled back and held the place Axel's elbow made contact with his skin "What was that for?"

Axel clicked her tongue and continued walking down the street. "I'm in my waitress- uniform, and you never compliment me."

Hisagi rubbed his sore stomach and smiled amused "Took you that long to figure it out?"

Axel spun round and stepped forward warningly "Don't mess with me, I promise you, you'll be sorry."

Hisagi stepped forward as well, leaving little space for personal comfort. "I'll take you up on that challenge, you don't scare me."

Axel looked up at him, ready to snap back, but noticed how close they were standing to each other and mumbled unconvincingly "That's what they all say."

Hisagi, sensing her discomfort, lowered his head so that they were on eye level. He frowned slightly when he saw her face "You're blushing."

Her eyes widened and she spun round, walking down the street at an amazing speed. "I am not!"

Hisagi only shrugged and followed her, wondering about her strange behavior. He sighed, he should know better than to try and understand women. Sometimes it seems like _they _don't even understand themselves. Kira, Renji and Anne walked at the back, chatting excitedly about the show.

Hisagi frowned as he looked at Anne. _What could she have done that would make her such a rival? Would I really be able to arrest Axel's best friend and erase all memory of her as well?_

Hisagi frowned at this, scolding himself mentally. _Of course I will. It's my job, besides, it's not like Axel gives a damn about me anyway. She hated me from the start, I don't have anything to feel sorry for._

"We're here!" Axel called.

Hisagi looked up and his eyes widened when he saw where they were.

Renji laughed knowingly "Doesn't this place bring back memories, Hisagi-san?"

Axel looked at them curiously "Have you been here before?"

Hisagi sighed and scratched his head "Renji and I ran into each other here earlier."

Renji smiled teasingly "I believe the term you used was 'we found each other', wasn't it?"

Axel frowned and eyed Hisagi suspiciously "I didn't know you were that kind of guy."

Hisagi crossed his arms and cursed softly "That's not what I meant."

She shrugged and unlocked the door to an old house. "There's no need to be shy, the people here are very accepting."

Hisagi looked sharply at her "Do you enjoy attacking me continuously?"

She turned the doorknob and stepped inside "Do you enjoy giving me ammunition to attack you with?"

Hisagi grumbled and moved towards the door, but Axel stopped him before he could enter. "Sorry, but this is for staff only. We have to get dressed and ready for the show, you can wait outside until we're finished."

Hisagi raised an eyebrow doubtfully "You're going to make us wait outside?"

Axel motioned for Anne to enter and replied in her usual sarcastic way "You catch on fast."

Hisagi rolled his eyes and stepped back "Whatever, just hurry."

Anne giggled and said brightly "A woman is always worth the wait." With that the door was closed and the three men stood outside.

"Tsk… there's always an exception and that she-devil is definitely it." Hisagi said as he joined Kira and Renji.

"I heard that!" Axel said loudly through the door.

"That was the intention!" Hisagi equally as loud. Kira merely shook his head and sighed, he had no more hope for peace between those two.

"What's taking them so long?" Renji asked from where he leaned against the wall. It's been almost an hour and the girls weren't showing any signs of finishing. People have already gathered and formed a half- circle around the house.

"I don't know, but people are starting to get anxious, maybe we should knock and ask?" Kira said, his eyebrows knotted together in a worried frown.

Hisagi sighed annoyed and walked towards the door. Just as he raised his fist, however, the door swung open.

At first, Hisagi didn't recognize the black-haired beauty in front of him, but as soon as she opened her mouth he regained his memory.

"What are you staring at? Move, we're already late as it is. Close your mouth for heaven's sake, you look even stupider than usual."

Hisagi just stood there numbly, still surprised at the sight he beheld. Her hair was loose and hung across her back, she wore a white belly-top and a matching skirt that reached her ankles and was tied beneath her navel- exposing her tanned, toned skin.

When Hisagi made no attempt to move she rolled her eyes in annoyance: "For the love of…"

She pushed him away and headed towards the cheering croud, leaving a very confused Hisagi to his thoughts.

The show was about ten minutes in when suddenly a loud bang was heard, followed by a woman's scream. Hisagi looked up and saw that the building across the street was crumbling, causing large pieces of the walls to fall over. He moved to help the spectators out of the way when he felt it. _A hollow._ How could he have missed it until now?

"Kira! Renji!" They both came running to his side

"We know. Better get out of these gingai's." Renji said as he popped a pill into his mouth.

The other two copied his actions. Before running off, Hisagi turned and said to his mod soul "Take Axel back to the apartment and don't let her leave."

He then turned to Renji and Kira's mod souls, "Get all the people away from here and take them to a save place."

"Hai!" with that they were gone and Hisagi could finally concentrate on the hollow. _Game on._

The hollow was defeated quickly, since they had the advantage of numbers and skill. As they reached Axel's front door, they heard a female voice filled with panic. "What's gotten into you? Get off me!"

Renji opened the door but didn't make a move to go inside. He stood frozen in the doorway.

"What is it? Why aren't you moving?" Hisagi said as he pushed him out of the way. But soon he stood in the same state as Renji.

The scene before him left his blood running cold. Axel was pinned against the floor with Hisagi's gingai leaning dangerously low over her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Greetings earthlings! I would once again like to thank everyone for their support and the reviews I've received. I would love to hear more from you guys so please let me know what you think. My internet is unfortunately not with us on this stage so I don't know when I'll be updating again. Please enjoy and let me know what you think! xxN**

Chapter 5

Three faces stared at the scene in front of them in shock. No one knowing what to say or how to react to the scene in front of them. It was like they were watching a movie, transfixed to the screen to see how the main character will be rewarded for his bravery. Axel, however, wasn't the type to reward uncharacteristic acts such as this. Her hysterical voice brought them back to reality: "Are you deaf? I said get off me!"

Hisagi was the first to move, he hurried towards his gingai, yanking it off her all while murmuring: "What the hell is wrong with you? How am I supposed to talk myself out of this one? C'mon get out, I'll handle this." _**Try**__ to handle this, that is._

Once Hisagi was back in his gingai his mind started searching for excuses to make this situation less awkward, but Axel's penetrating gaze paralyzed his brain from coming up with anything. They stood in total silence, Hisagi not knowing where to look and Axel trying to stare a hole through him.

Finally the silence was broken by Axel stepping forward and gripping his chin, staring intently at his face: "Are you doing drugs?"

Hisagi blinked in surprise: "Wha-… what? No, of course not! Why would you even think that?"

Letting her hand drop from his face, she crossed her arms: "Bi-polar then?"

Frowning angrily he balled his fists: "No! I'm not. What's with all these questions?"

She looks at him, her voice completely calm: "I'm trying to find an excuse for your behavior, but since there are none…"

She stepped forward and slapped him, leaving a perfect shadow of her hand engraved on his face. Touching his reddening cheek Hisagi stared at her in disbelief: "What was that for?"

Raising a sarcastic eyebrow, she shrugged: "O, I don't know…. Maybe because you completely freaked me out?! Where did that come from? One moment you're pestering me to no end and the next you're pinning me down on the floor. Do you have some kind of mental disorder?"

Grunting at her remark, Hisagi unconsciously rubbed his sore cheek: "I blame it on that junk you've been giving us. Wouldn't surprise me if coffee had some kind of drug hidden in it."

Looking at him disbelievingly, she sighed and turned to walk to her room: "Don't blame things on caffeine you should've blamed on hormones, Scar."

"Hormo-…?" Before he was able to say anything, Axel had already closed her bedroom door.

Still staring at the closed door, Hisagi felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned round to find Renji grinning at him: "You two are better than TV! They should make a series about you guys! It could be something like: How I killed your Mother or maybe…" Renji trailed off when he saw Hisagi's face.

"What exactly have you been doing while we were in the real world?" Kira asked from where he stood next to Renji.

Scratching the back of his head uncomfortably he directed his gaze to the floor: "Well…"

Rolling his eyes, Hisagi started towards the door: "We don't have time for this. Let's get going."

Kira frowned in confusion: "Where are we going?"

Turning slightly as he opened the door, Hisagi said: "We've found our girl, it's time to complete the mission."

"Well, hello! I didn't expect to see you here. Are you looking for Axel?" Anne looked at them confused as she stood in her doorway. She must've been doing dishes since she was holding a plate in her one hand and a drying-towel in the other.

Kira cleared his throat: "Um, actually we've already seen her."

The frown on her fore-head deepened at this: "I see, you are here for me then?"

Her realization didn't go unnoticed by Hisagi: "We are. I believe you expected us to come eventually?"

Lowering the plate in her hands, she nodded slowly: "Yes. Come in, I suppose we have a lot to talk about."

The three men stepped into her small apartment- with Renji in the room it looked even smaller. She gestured towards the small table in the middle of the room: "Please, sit down. I'll make us some tea."

Renji waved her attempt of hospitality away: "Please don't, I have a problem with dining at a person's house and then arresting them afterwards."

Kira's eyes widened at his boldness: "Renji, you can't just-…"

Anne stopped him: "Don't worry about it. And thank you Renji, I appreciate it," Lowering herself to sit next to them, she stared into her lap: "How did you figure it out?"

Hisagi leaned back on his arms as he spoke: "We felt a high reiatsu the other day near the place where you guys danced. When we met you for the first time, we felt the same spirit-pressure. Though you were pretty hard to find, I must say that. If it wasn't for Kira, we would probably still be searching for you."

She fiddled with her fingers, still not making eye-contact with them. Kira looked away in shame, feeling half-responsible for her discomfort. An awkward silence followed, painfully long and unbearable for the company around the table. Finally Anne's soft voice asked: "So what happens now?"

Glancing at the others' faces, Kira took it upon himself to enlighten her: "We'll have to take you back to Soul Society. There you'll be given a trail and your sentence will be decided."

She gave a soft snort and looked up: "What's the point? You already think I'm guilty."

Furrowing his brows Renji asked hesitantly: "I was just wondering: what exactly did you do? I mean, you don't seem all that dangerous… at all actually."

Her face saddened and she directed her gaze towards her tiny kitchen, staring at the pile of dishes still to be done. "It's not exactly open for discussion."

Kira shot Renji a look and attempted to cheer her up, if that was even possible: "On the bright side you'll be able to see Captain Zaraki, he'll be thrilled to see one of his best fighters again. We could arrange that the two of you could meet before the trail."

Anne's eyes darted back to them, wide with shock, as color drained from her face. She quickly looked back down but they already noticed her panic. Stuttering slightly she mumbled: "Yeah… he'll see me again."

Confused by her sudden change Kira turned to Hisagi, raising his brows in surprise. Hisagi just shrugged and got up. He felt sorry for her, but it wasn't in his place to decide. He had to follow orders, he'll figure something out later. Walking round the table he extended his hand towards her: "I'm sorry but we'll have to leave now."

She gazed up at him, her eyes scared and uncertain. However, she steeled herself and got up, dismissing his hand. Renji rose to his feet and moved to stand next to her: "Anything you want to do before we go? Anyone you want to say goodbye to?"

She shook her head slowly: "No, it would only complicate things."

Nodding in understanding Hisagi turned to the other two shinigami: "We'll leave our gingai here to take care of Axel, we've already told them what they should say and how to act around her… that reminds me…"

He fished out the pill and swallowed it quickly. Before his mod soul could utter a word he smashed his fist into his face. Staggering backwards, Hisagi's gingai clutched his nose as a small tear of blood curved around his chin: "Why did you do that?!" came the muffled response.

Crossing his arms, Hisagi glared at him: "That's for acting weird around Axel and them making me take the blame for it. What were you thinking?"

"It's not my fault. I thought I felt something around her." He was pinching his nose, nasalizing his sentences.

Hisagi frowned at him: "What do you mean you felt something? Like what?"

He rolled his eyes and stared at the blood on his hands: "By 'I felt something' I mean I felt something. Spirit pressure, a strong one by that, but she hid it as soon as I came near her."

Kira stepped forward, furrowing his brows: "But that's impossible. Axel doesn't have any spirit pressure. And even if she did we would've felt it, besides it's impossible to hide spirit pressure to that extent. You probably just felt our reiatsu when we were walking towards the apartment."

He shook his head, grunting in disapproval: "I know your spirit pressure, it came from-"

Anne cut into his sentence, her face flushed: "If my best friend had any spirit pressure I would've known. Just leave her out of this, I've already caused enough trouble."

Renji took a step forward: "I agree, I've already notified Captain Ukitake of our arrival. Let's get this over with."

Taking a last glance at his gingai, Hisagi turned to open the Senkai gate. Stepping inside behind the other three he half-turns to his gingai and says: "Keep her out of trouble, would you?" With that he disappeared into the blinding light.

"Well, it's about damn time!" a loud voice boomed over the grounds when they stepped into Soul society. They've barely touched ground when they were surrounded by shinigami. Captain Soi-Fong's squad was armed and ready to escort their prisoner away while multiple curious faces from other squads leered in to take a look at the highly wanted shinigami.

A bald man accompanied by a man with mid-length black hair entered the scene, slowly making their way to the front of the crowd, pushing people out of the way as they did.

"Hey make way! This doesn't concern you, get out of here! It's strictly squad 11!" Ikkaku bellowed across the plain.

"That's right, all of you are ruining the moment with your ugly faces. Please get back to your barracks!" Yumichika called afterwards.

Steadily the crowd grew thinner as the plain cleared, leaving only them and Captain Soi-Fong's squad to remain. Finally making it to the front, Ikakku smiled devilishly: "So? Where is she?"

Renji stepped back to view the girl that had been hiding behind him the entire time. Pushing her forward gently he says: "Right here, can't believe she's from squad 11. She doesn't look like she can hurt a fly."

Silence followed when Anne came into the view of the two men. Ikakku stared blankly at her, confusion clearly shown on his face. Yumichika copied his actions, frowning when he saw her: "Anne-san?"

"Yo." A tall shadow towered over the shinigami. His face was set in a malicious grin as he neared them. "I've been waiting over 70 years for this, where is she?"

Ikakku slowly turned around, his eyes widening: "Captain Zaraki…"

"You'll get your turn to fight her later. I'm first." Captain Zaraki glanced around, looking for his prey. "Oi, get out here and fight me! I don't have time to play hide and seek."

Kira cleared his throat: "Um, Captain? She's right here."

Captain Zaraki turned back to him: "Huh? What are you talking about? I don't see her."

Kira pointed to Anne: "She's standing right in front of you, sir."

He looked down at Anne, staring at her as his grin fell from his face: "Who the hell is this?"

Renji blinked in confusion: "What are you talking about, sir? It's Anne. The Soul Shredder from your squad we were sent to-"

"That's not Soul Shredder." Captain Zaraki interrupted, glaring at her, "That's just a weak-ass shinigami from squad 13. Where the hell is Axel?"


End file.
